I’m watching Jessica Kanstrup run a bootcamp class. At first glance, the 26 year-old is an intimidating figure, even at 5’4”; she paces slowly back and forth across the studio stage in her black tights and red GoodLife Fitness shirt, stopwatch in hand, brow knitted, watching her crew of ladies sweat it out in their circuit. It’s clear from the stern expression on her face that no one is going to slack off under her watch. Then suddenly, she looks down at the stopwatch, clicks it, and shouts a command: all of her ladies come to a relieved stop and stare at her with expectant expressions.

Jess’ face breaks into a huge grin and her hands fly into the air in victory. The rest of her crew does the same; the class is over. They’ve done it! The exhausted and relieved expressions on all of their faces say it all: they are both ecstatic to be done and delighted they came. Jess congratulates each lady in turn as they leave the studio. It’s evident she is someone who loves her job and cares about her clients.

“Having a trainer is so important for success,” she says as we sit for the interview, “It’s definitely been important for me [training for this fitness competition]. My first show, Chris [a male colleague] trained me, then I trained myself for the second one, and this time I wanted a female perspective. We correspond every week, and I see her once a month so she can measure me and take my body fat, and take a look at me to see how my body is coming along. It’s been great so far.”

I believe her. Training for a fitness competition is definitely hard work, but this beautiful blonde hardbody seems to have it all together. What’s her secret?

“Not a lot of cardio!” She laughs. Jess is weeks away from her third fitness competition. Last summer, she competed for the first time in SAF (Serious About Fitness), as well as in Physique Canada. She took home first place in both shows, blowing her competition out of the water with her balanced physique and elegant stage presence.

“It was the most exciting day of my life,” she says, “I discovered my passion for competing and pushing myself to the limits to be the best I can be. I competed again in the SAF Elite Pro Championship last October, and also placed first again with Physique Canada and became a Tier 1 Pro. It’s been a whirlwind.”

A whirlwind to say the least, but Jess is used to a lot of activity. “Growing up,” she says, “I was always an active kid that loved to be outside and moving around. I never played any specific sports, [but] I took acting classes and loved to sing and dance and be in front of the camera.”

Jess is definitely great in front of the camera. From her pictures, it seems as though she was born to be in the spotlight. Is it hard for her to stay grounded in such a vain industry? “It’s hard sometimes. It crossed my mind, getting implants, but it was more just a thought. I compete naturally in an industry full of enhancement – drugs and plastic surgery – and while that’s fine for those competitors, I realized it’s not my style. So I enter natural competitions so I can compete on more of a level playing field.”

And what led her to a career in fitness in the first place? “I come from a family with a history of alcoholism and drug addiction; my family has suffered a lot of loss and tragedy. As I grew up, I realized I never wanted to end up down that path, like my two half-sisters who I have lost.

“In grade 11 I discovered weight lifting and fell in love with fitness. I realized I wanted to help others discover this love for fitness and decided to pursue a career as a personal trainer. I attended Algonquin College in the Fitness and Health Promotion program and then started working at GoodLife when I was 18.”

With such a demanding schedule (she works 7am to 7pm at the gym, plus works out five days a week), how does Jess
find time to unwind? “Wellness for me is taking time for myself to rest; I’ve been doing yoga once a week, and I always try and get enough sleep. In this sport, recovery is almost more important than the workout. It’s a little extreme, so you need to make sure you balance the hard stuff with enough rest. The team at Whole Therapy have helped me as well; I see [Jen] for massages as often as I can.”

In light of her success thus far on stage, I wondered if modelling was in Jess’ future career plans. “I’m not sure if I could or would make modeling my entire career. Right now it’s something I do on the side that compliments my training. In the future I’d love to do more of it, and get into coaching other competitors as well.”

Look for Jessica Kanstrup at next weekend’s SAF and Physique Canada shows, taking place Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13 at the Canadian Museum of History. Get tickets to the show here.

Know someone who would be great in the Wellness Spotlight? Send us an email! info.wholetherapy@gmail.com

Jen Wright is an RMT and the owner of Whole Therapy. She is an avid gym-goer and loves to lift heavy stuff. She sees clients of all ages and stages, especially those who are engaged in bettering themselves. She believes that pain-free is possible. For more about Jen, click here.

At Whole Therapy, we believe that two heads are better than one. Our team works together to help people: It’s simple.
Because one therapy is not always the one for everyone. We know that every body is different, and everyone has different goals, preferences, and timelines when it comes to their health and their bodies.